Of all the many confusing elements that appear in Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, by far one of the most perplexing is the film’s comedic cops.
The Halloween franchise may currently be riding high, but the late '80s and early ‘90s marked the absolute lowest point for the slasher franchise. Halloween 5 is set firmly within the series’ “Cult of Thorn” trilogy and with Laurie Strode now a distant memory the films really go for broke. Halloween 5 abandons the compelling ending that Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers goes out on and instead inexplicably saddles Jamie Lloyd with a psychic connection to Michael Myers. On top of all of this, Halloween 5 goes out on the kind of cliffhanger that wouldn’t be out of place within the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it teases the enigmatic (and ultimately wasted) Man in Black.
Multiple moments within Halloween 5 are bound to make viewers scratch their heads in confusion rather than cover their eyes in terror, but one that pulls many out of the film's frightening atmosphere is the inclusion of Deputy Nick Ross and Deputy Tom Farrah, the film's source of comic relief. A Halloween film arguably doesn’t need any source of humor. It should be more concerned with its scares than its gags. That being said, this puzzling decision actually has an explanation behind it.
Halloween 5’s Comedic Cops Are A Tribute To A Wes Craven Classic
A surefire way to undercut Michael Myers’ terror in Halloween 5 is to cue Deputy Ross (Frank Cosmo) and Farrah (David Ursin). The two bumble their ways through scenes like they’re in a broad comedy, but if that wasn’t enough, these cops even come with their own carnival-esque theme music that only accentuates their absurdity. Not that an explanation makes this choice much better, but according to the Halloween: 25 Years of Terror DVD, the bumbling nature of these cops wasn’t a performance choice and was actually written into the film’s script. Halloween 5’s cops are an homage to the two absurd law enforcement officers in Wes Craven's The Last House on the Left. To make that parallel even clearer, director Dominique Othenin-Girard lays into the nonsense with their theme music.
Loving tributes in horror films are great, but Halloween 5 goes in the wrong direction, especially when the characters from The Last House on the Left that are being referenced aren’t seen as touchstones of horror cinema. Simply naming these characters after them would be enough. It shouldn’t seem like Michael Myers is about to visit the circus. Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers remains a black sheep in the franchise and it definitely has bigger problems than Deputies Nick Ross and Tom Farrah, but they at least keep this hodgepodge of a slasher film oddly entertaining.